SAN ANTONIO—Joey Rodriguez looked at the picture of roommate Brandon Rozzell as a skinny-armed freshman and just laughed.

“He looks like a dweeb,” the VCU point guard said.

Bradford Burgess, a Richmond-area product who played against Rozzell in high school, busted out a big grin, too. Rozzell, a senior shooting guard, cringed a bit when he was handed the media guide, which has the freshman-year picture side-by-side with one from the start of his senior year.

“Oh, man …” he said.

Needless to say, there’s quite a bit of difference in the two images. Rozzell was quick to credit strength and conditioning coach Daniel Roose for the second picture, in which Rozzell actually has muscles and, y’know, definition.

“He knew my talent on the court, and he knew that if I was going to be the player I wanted to be, it would take the same dedication off the court,” Rozzell said. “I was the guy who would rather be in the gym for eight hours than go to the weight room, as you can see. I’m still skinny, but this is a big difference now.”

Bulking up isn’t the only difference in Rozzell’s game. A star who led his high school team, Highland Springs, to the Virginia state championship as a senior, Rozzell has had to learn a bit of patience at VCU. “As a freshman and sophomore, and even last year, if he wasn’t getting his shot off or something, he’d get frustrated and that would affect him on the defensive end,” Rodriguez said. “This year, he’s been great. He’s been a great leader, and he hasn’t let not getting shots or not getting open shots early bother him.”

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Rozzell isn’t a starter, but he plays starter's minutes and is third on the team with his average of 11.8 points per game. Friday’s win against Florida State was the perfect example of the patience he’s developed.

In the first half of the game against the Seminoles, he was held scoreless. Heck, he was held shotless. He was OK with that because his Rams had a five-point halftime lead, but his teammates knew they’d need Rozzell to step up in the second half. “I get frustrated when he don’t shoot because he’s a big-time key to us winning,” senior big man Jamie Skeen said. “And you see what he can do when he gets hot, just in a half. It’s fun, and sometimes I can just relax because he’s taking over, and he can take over at any time in the game.”

Rozzell hit three 3-pointers in a stretch of 2:26, and he wound up with 14 points in the second half. Another two points in overtime—he converted both ends of a one-and-one—helped the Rams knock off Florida State.

Which means Sunday could be extra special for Rozzell. “Birthday’s tomorrow,” he said Saturday afternoon. “A priceless gift—one more win—would be great.”

At times, it’s been a rough season for Rozzell. Sixteen games in—right after a 22-point game against UNC-Wilmington in which he drilled six 3-pointers—Rozzell broke a bone in his right hand during practice.

“It happened in the most non-physical way possible,” Rozzell said, displaying that same chagrin he showed when looking at his freshman-year picture. “All I did was hit it on redshirt freshman Rico McCarty’s leg. I guess because he’s so skinny and bony, the contact caused a little spiral fracture of the bone, and I had to get pins put in.”

The injury cost him eight games, and it took a toll on him mentally, too. “One person that kept me focused, kept me in a positive state of mind was my father,” Rozzell said. “He said, ‘I know you’re facing an injury, but something good’s going to come out of it.’ And look where I am at now. Not only me, but my teammates. We’re playing great basketball.”

His father, Michael, lives in Richmond and is a regular at VCU games. He’s here in San Antonio, too. Wouldn’t have missed these games.

“He can’t sit still,” Rozzell said with a laugh. “Him being here, seeing me play well, and not only me but the team play well, is great. Last night in the hotel, I had to tell him, ‘Relax, relax. We’re not done. Just relax.’ I’m happy he’s here.”